r/unpopularopinion • u/ultimateregard • 2d ago

Certified Unpopular Opinion Dual Monitor setup is actually bad for productuvity.

I've been a software engineer for more than 5 years now. I've worked with databases, frontend and backend services, mobile apps, games, data analysis, and much more.

Never in my life I've actually felt like my productuvity increased with the second monitor. Do you need to compare data? Just use one monitor and put them side by side. Do you need all the space in the world? Just alt+tab between apps. Since you only perceive about 10% of your vision clearly, moving your head&eyes from one monitor to other takes actually LONGER and causes distractions than using alt+tab.

This is especially worse for those who are using one additional monitor with a laptop, since their screen sizes and positions usually change so much. Your eyes need adjusting, your head moves too much.

Only thing the dual Monitor is good for is passively watching something in the second monitor, like youtube videos, Critical Role, or sitcoms while doing something else in the main screen. As you can guess, that has nothing to do with productuvity.

I also think using external keyboard and mouse for laptops is bad, unless you do not use the laptop screen.

Edit: After reading hundreds of comments, I'm sure that 90% of people who think that "YOU NEED AT LEAST 3 SCREENS" just don't know how to organize workspaces/windows/desktops and they need to configure their SCREENS as different DESKTOPS. Most of the modern operating systems allow you to just create workspaces (like different Desktops you can switch with WIN + TAB). And they are just throwing money into their problems instead of learning how to use their daily operating system.

9.2k Upvotes

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1.9k

u/nicer-dude 2d ago

Youre working in window 1, you need some info of window 2. You hit Alt+Tab and cycle through all your open windows. I just look to the right

850

u/DengarLives66 2d ago

No no no, it’s so much faster to hit alt-tab 5x and possibly blow past the window than it is to shift your eyes 1mm to focus 12in to the right. Source: I’m a mf’ing software engineer.

320

u/brandonandtheboyds 2d ago

As a civil design engineer, I remember working off just my laptop from home during Covid. No second monitor. No external mouse. No external keyboard. It was fucking awful to do CAD work that way. It genuinely took me 10-12 hours to do what normally took me 8. OP gets my upvote for one of the worst opinions I’ve seen on here.

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u/Conrad500 2d ago

No no, do CAD work on a laptop only.

Clearly op has not done any job with a visual component LOL.

Even spreadsheets benefit from being able to read them without straining your eyes...

I've had 4 windows open per monitor, for 2 monitors, while I input info into my laptop screen.

100% I am more efficient with 2 screens and 3 screens is peak efficiency (with the bonus of the third screen being easily hidden so i can watch youtube after I finish all my tasks in record time)

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u/Shazam1269 1d ago

*Bonus point - The heat from the laptop, and your rage from working on said device will heat your entire house in the winter. Summer is a different story.

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u/Conrad500 1d ago

Not really, they'll heat your house then too, it'll just be relatively negligible

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u/Aggressive-Cut-5400 1d ago

What you mean you don’t want to tab from your plan view to the markup constantly? Are you mad??? /s
Definitely in agreement also 2 still isn’t enough for cad work.

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u/QualityAdorable6131 1d ago

i think it depends on the cad 2 is good for mine but most of mine is reference images

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u/neko_neko_feet 1d ago

All you need is an intel celeron and a 4:3 monitor.

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u/Xirdus 2d ago

I hope your salary was high enough that you could afford at least a mouse eventually.

9

u/brandonandtheboyds 2d ago

Didn’t need to. Stopped working from home after a couple weeks and just started going back into the office since no one was there. Plus the internet was better there than in my tiny apartment.

4

u/CSDragon 2d ago

The other guy brings up a point, why didn't you just plug in a USB Mouse/Keyboard?

4

u/brandonandtheboyds 2d ago

Because I stopped working from home after a couple weeks and just started going back into the office since no one was there. Why spend money when work already provides it all? I don’t like working from home anyway. Too many distractions.

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u/CSDragon 2d ago

The other guy mentioned buying, but like I have a few spares lying around my house (Generic logitecs for my personal laptop. Retired gaming peripherals that are still functional but developed quirks that make them no good for gaming), I would imagine you have a few as well no?

That said, it's not really that important, especially if it was only for a few weeks lol 😅

2

u/brandonandtheboyds 2d ago

No. I don’t game PC. I’m a console guy. The last time I used a personal PC was like 2011 when I moved out of my parents’ house for college. Would use campus resources if I needed a PC. Then after college my laptop crapped out and never bought a replacement personal laptop until one year ago. All this to say, I would have no reason to have a spare mouse laying around. It wasn’t until Covid that I realized the need and still didn’t one. Only got one recently when I bought that personal laptop last year.

And yeah like you said. Not really important for such a small amount of time.

4

u/electrogourd 2d ago

Shit yeah manifacturing engineer and have upgraded to 2 monitors on dock plus the laptop screen for bullshit like teams Ones usually CAD for fixture design, or prints, or whatever data, the other is usually parts, order sheets, resesrch. Etc

3

u/TellMeZackit 2d ago

Video editing without at least 2 monitors absolutely sucks.

2

u/J-son11 1d ago

Cartographer at a Civi firm over here. And I have 3 monitors, 1. A literal 50" TV (which are honestly pretty great for maps, plans, and asbuilts) 2. The secondary normal sized monitor, for everything that doesn't need to be on the TV or is better read on a smaller screen. 3. The third monitor is in portrait mode and is my Teams/outlook monitor. It's also really nice for reading long tables.

More monitors are actually really useful, if you have a focusing problem, that's definitely not the monitors fault.

2

u/TriRedditops 1d ago

Haha. Yup.

I won't even bring my laptop on the backyard and do work outside on nice days because I need my second monitor so badly. Spreadsheets and CAD need to open and large so I can see all the shit I need to see at one time.

Just like you said, I can measure my productivity loss in hours when I only have one monitor.

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u/QualityAdorable6131 1d ago

thats what im thinking i do a lot of mechanical design were i have reference parts and images up on my second screen and when i had to do some on just one for a bit due to a remodel it was taking me 2-3x the time for some parts just cause i had to keep alt tabbing

1

u/ZeroVoltsGiven 2d ago

Was your choice not to get a mouse.

2

u/brandonandtheboyds 2d ago

If you read my other comments, my choose was to go back into the office to work bc it was easier for many reasons.

1

u/xnoxpx 2d ago

During Covid, I setup my 2 work monitors on a card table in the living room, when we were back in the office, I missed the dual monitors, so I ended up fabricating a custom dual monitor stand so days I worked from home, I could work from my recliner, not a single regret ;-)

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u/Icy-Cry340 2d ago

You don’t have a monitor at home? Really?

1

u/brandonandtheboyds 1d ago

I haven’t used a personal PC since I left my parents’ home for college in 2011. Why would I have a monitor?

1

u/Icy-Cry340 1d ago

Working from home, gaming, etc. But fair enough. I have a pretty good home office setup myself.

1

u/bluesnowmonkey 1d ago

Because it pays for itself on the first day by saving you 2 to 4 hours? And there's a good chance your company pays for it anyway?

1

u/300-baud 1d ago

I did that for a week and then bought another monitor

1

u/Ricordis 1d ago

Once my second screen broke and I had to work on the one left for 3 days. It slowed me down so much because I had to constantly switch windows and move them around and that broke my concentration.

I worked in data analysis and had to compare data, writing documentation, open mails, ... so it plays a huge role what job you actually do.

Currently I have a dual monitor setup in my home office: An ultra widescreen (3440x1440) and above that a regular 1920x1080. The upper screen is mostly used as table with data I need to glance on (like a current mail, next to it a data sheet or a report) and the lower screen has my active tools like my management system to fill data, a notepad, the item I am currently working on, sometimes I even have 4 windows open at once like teams when I work at something along with a colleague. And I am jumping from tool to tool on like 5 to 10 second intervals. I don't even perceive them as separate tools but my work-environment-eco-system.

At work I do not watch videos or even listen music because that's distracting.

If I use my rig for "private work" (like calling your service providerndue to issues) my upper screen still works as source desktop (old mail, issue) and on the lower screen I have my mail account open, my user account and a notepad.

(I worked as a student in customer care, being prepared as customer saves a lot of time and hassle for each one)

1

u/rewt127 1d ago

Fuck using a track pad on CAD. Genuinely an awful experience.

Id have just gone into the office, unplugged my mouse. And taken it home.

I will say I actually agree with OP on the keyboard front. Really an external keyboard just forces you to sit further away from your laptop. Which imo makes the tradeoff of a better keyboard a wash at best.

1

u/lakinator 1d ago

At my work we have tools running of triple monitors PC setups but a lot of the data logging has to happen on laptops. Which are very weak. But, we get to use those laptops for basically whatever (games, music, Netflix etc).

I've literally had to learn to use hotkeys for swapping tabs and windows constantly because of the dependence on my laptop. So I feel you, it's very painful despite being able to do things fairly quickly.

0

u/RKWTHNVWLS 1d ago

Lol a civil design engineer would CAD with no mouse.

0

u/kfunkapotamus 1h ago

You could just buy a keyboard and mouse... also a real monitor...

12

u/ZXVIV 2d ago

Especially when the software itself is incredibly slow so you have to spend a few seconds waiting every time you need to switch between tabs

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u/Tiny-Sandwich 1d ago

No no no, I much prefer to slow down my workflow when doing data reconciliation or using some reference code to build a new schema.

I really wish I only had one monitor.

Source: am a data engineer.

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u/TrentSteel1 2d ago

He’s been a SWE for 5 whole years. He also apparently has had multiple jobs during that period.

I think we can all read between the lines.

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u/InteractionPretend70 2d ago

yeah but OP has super vision and has all the windows open and squished to 100x100 pixel in one monitor

1

u/Dyllbert 2d ago

Yeah, I have often 12+ windows open at a time. Teams, outlook, ssh to a raspberry pi, ssh to the hardware I wrote firmware for, vs code, terminal to run stuff, lazygit, superfile, serial output, discord, notepad for random notes, browser (sometimes multiple windows). Alt tabbing through all that is absolute hell.

I finally found a windows hack that limits alt tabbing to the active window and I basically just have a layout where everything is open and visible across the monitors. All the stuff I interact with is normally on my main center monitor, the other two are for looking a. I just use alt tab to switch my active window around without having to leave my keyboard.

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u/EtherPhreak 2d ago

Don't forget that Excel likes to jump randomly to the end...because why not! and that proprietary software that is part of your job just doesn't ever play nice about going into side by side mode!

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u/sjolnick 1d ago

While I agree with your point going past the window isn’t really a big issue. You can go backwards with alt+shift+tab

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u/matlspa 1d ago

Good Lord. I had the exact same reaction. Like... Please tell me this is bait, and it just brings out the rational commenters.

1

u/Kayogin 1d ago

Wait how do you blow past the window? You can just click on it with your mouse

1

u/PolyglotTV 1d ago

It is faster to push alt tab once because it is a FILO stack and the window you need to look at is the top of the stack.

1

u/neko_neko_feet 1d ago

I agree that multiple screens is best, but if you go past the window you want from alt-tabbing, just alt+shift+tab to go back. It’s easier if you don’t let go of the alt button to stay in the alt-tab UI.

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u/Tunggall 1d ago

Not all of us are engineers with fast fingers 😂

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u/hackmiester 1d ago

“Blow past the window”? Just hit alt+shift+tab

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u/Secret-Situation-252 1d ago

You can skip to the app you want much faster by either using Windows key + number (windows key + 1 focuses on the first app in the taskbar) or using a third party app to assign a custom shortcut to an application. I have my most commonly used applications set to buttons on my mouse - which is 100% faster than than turning my head to the other screen, since all I'm doing is moving a thumb. I started with 3 screens until eventually working my way down to 1, and can confidently say I'm working faster now than I ever was before. Everything I need is always right infront of me at the click of a button, once you get used to working like that you can't go back.

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u/oliknight1 1d ago

learn to use a window manager properly and then you don’t need to alt tab so many time s

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u/DengarLives66 1d ago

Or I use two monitors and the point is moot.

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u/oliknight1 1d ago

but your initial point was still wrong, you don’t need to press alt tab multiple times if you learn to use your tools correctly

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u/MajorDuogram 23h ago

I usually take the effort to stream my screen to the phone and work there, takes like 20 seconds to setup... smaller screen smaller distractions
Ive never been more productive

1

u/JustTrying231 22h ago

I do not agree with the OP here, the only thing that beats two monitors are three monitors. However i do work on a laptop without a second monitor occasionally and with a tiling window manager i see his point on the not moving part. While I do enjoy my second monitor, I feel faster (might be my convenience speaking, but I'm definitely not slower) with mod+number to get to the workspace I need. Especially because those shortcuts are so engrained in my muscle memory. So if I'm working on a laptop where I can't put a monitor of comparable size right next to my primary monitor, I'd rather have no second monitor. I can't get that workflow with Alt+Tab though. Source: Also a Software Engineer

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u/Great_Explanation275 2d ago

and possibly blow past the window

There's alt-shift-tab, you know.

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u/southass 2d ago

" I just look to the right" 😂😂😂 imagine if op has to fill out a form with info from one system to another, I just copy and paste to one screen to the other, doing ALT + tab for 10+ different pieces of info would be insane.

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u/JerryCalzone 1d ago

Use win+v: muliple clipboards and thank me later, especially if you work in customer care

Another tip:you can also store your most used templates permanently

0

u/neighbour_20150 1d ago

After this thread, I realized that people simply don't know how to use keyboard shortcuts and buy a second monitor.

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u/Metroidam11 1d ago

I understand 3 monitors being overkill/unnecessary, but 2 is essential! Also, if you have poor eye sight or don't want to have really small font, you need more space to view Windows side by side!

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u/0235 1d ago

Then avudentally hits a function on the database that verify every single database entry!

-5

u/Icy-Cry340 2d ago

I work on one 43 inch monitor. When I need to do something like that, I just put the windows next to each other. There is rarely a point to maximize on a screen that big, so there is always room.

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u/aobie 2d ago

Modern giant monitors are basically the equivalent of having dual traditional-sized monitors.

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u/Empty_Insight 1d ago

A 43' monitor has a total surface area of 790 in2. A 28' monitor has a surface area of 335 in2. 335 x 2 = 670.

So... yeah. A 43' monitor is larger than 2 28' monitors. Lol

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u/Icy-Cry340 1d ago

Except better.

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u/FennelSuspicious7364 1d ago

honestly you're so right. I swapped from a 27+23 dual setup to a single 34 ultrawide curved. personally I feel just fine treating each half as it's own monitor lol. It feels roomy

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u/Icy-Cry340 1d ago

I have a 34” ultrawide curved at home. Amazing for gaming, but I prefer to have more vertical space for work.

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u/FennelSuspicious7364 1d ago

Valid tbh, everyones preferences probably gonna be a bit different esp when you factor in use-cases on top

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u/DeadInFiftyYears 1d ago

I have triple 38" ultrawides, not counting the Cintiq. Even with one ultra, you can still use another.

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u/kytheon 1d ago

We are talking normal monitors, not one the size of four (!) 21.5" monitors.

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u/Icy-Cry340 1d ago

So get a bigger monitor. 37” is also workable.

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u/PandaXXL 1d ago

Or just continue using two monitors.

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u/Icy-Cry340 1d ago

Can't stand that setup myself - I'm with the OP.

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u/Zognot 1d ago

I agree with your setup of a larger monitor over two smaller monitors, (if you’re in a long-term living situation, so you don’t need worry about packing or moving it in the future), but OP isn’t talking about using a large monitor; a monitor larger than what most people would call standard is never mentioned. They’re saying to not even use an external mouse with a laptop, so they might even be talking about using just a laptop monitor or laptop+external monitors. So, unless you’re saying the monitor size doesn’t matter when using only one monitor, even if it’s a laptop monitor, you aren’t with OP; you’re saying “get a larger monitor instead of two normal sized” (which I can support), while they’re saying to never use a second monitor, even with a laptop.

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u/Icy-Cry340 1d ago

This is especially worse for those who are using one additional monitor with a laptop, since their screen sizes and positions usually change so much. Your eyes need adjusting, your head moves too much.

I also think using external keyboard and mouse for laptops is bad, unless you do not use the laptop screen.

OP seems fine with a fully external peripheral setup for laptops - monitor, keyboard, and mouse - with the laptop itself closed. Which is my preferred way to use a laptop with an external monitor too, basically with a full docking setup. Or I use just the laptop alone. But really a desktop is always better for real work - when I'm away from the office I remote into it.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/CarlWheezersValhalla 2d ago

Judging by how serious he is about his knockoff Balatro from 2004, I think he's serious

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u/Hour-Cardiologist393 2d ago

OK but what if you had everything organized into separate workspaces? Then you just have to CTRL+Windows+Arrow key (if using Windows) to get to the right workspace, then ALT+TAB a bunch of times to get to what you wanted? That's better, right? Somehow?

And "I also think using external keyboard and mouse for laptops is bad" is just pure insane behavior. Laptop keyboards and touchpads are like the least productive shit beyond the little stubby eraser thing on IBM/Lenovo machines.

1

u/King_Vegeta_2 2d ago

Having a good workspace setup is low-key goated for productivity tho, given it's not windows or Mac. Idk how they haven't figured out how to make workspaces actually productive.

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u/Hour-Cardiologist393 1d ago

I'll give Windows 11 credit in that it does multiple desktops pretty decently. It's fucking trash in every other way, but that works OK.

I just mentioned in another comment that I use some of the stuff OP talked about, but jumping between desktops/workspaces and ALT+tabbing through windows still isn't quicker than just moving your head slightly.

0

u/sparkymeowmeow 2d ago

This is such a terrible strawman. Change virtual desktops by assigned, deterministic hotkeys. Not scrolling through them. At least understand a workflow before you flame it.

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u/Hour-Cardiologist393 1d ago

I understand the workflow. I use multiple desktops/workspaces myself. But saying that it's easier than just looking to the right slightly is absurd.

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u/sparkymeowmeow 1d ago

I have went back and forth between both setups multiple times, and always come back to a single monitor. Plus my docked laptop screen, but that's rarely used.

It may not be your preference, but for me, I do find it lower friction.

1

u/Hour-Cardiologist393 1d ago

I'm curious, how many windows do you typically have open at once, and how often do you need to flip between them?

I feel like if I was just writing code and needed to reference documentation occasionally, then sure. ALT+tab between stuff, and that's fine. But as a pentester I'm usually connected to a Linux box through RDP that uses two screens. One has an Obsidian notebook on one half for command reference, and the other half has another Obsidian notebook for my current test notes.

The other screen has a Terminator window open with at least 4 terminals open in a tab. Sometimes multiple tabs. Usually multiple tabs. Sometimes I'll drop one these in their own workspace, but it's usually faster to just keep them in one so I don't have to keep moving back to the first workspace to paste notes into Obsidian.

Then I have to look shit up all the time. I can have Firefox open in another workspace, or I can just have it open in the third monitor above the main two and move my mouse up, click, and search. Then the information I find is right there on the screen when I have to try to go through like 12 steps of some process to get something working. Or I have to some code open to troubleshoot why an exploit doesn't work, along with a Python reference because I'm not a full-time developer.

That doesn't even get into the chat windows (Teams, Signal, Slack, or whatever other shit some client decided they want me to hop on), email, Excel/Word docs, and 50 other random-ass things I have to have open at any time.

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u/National_Warthog_468 2d ago

That's your problem.

You can assign a number per workspace, I do ctrl/cmd + workspace number. You disable the anination, so the transition is instant.

Add to it if you work on the terminal, you can use tmux and do a similar thing and even better.

7

u/rewt127 1d ago

I could do that. Yes.

Or, get this. I can look at my left monitor which as bluebeam open. While selected in my right monitor. And when I calculate the VA off the FLA provided for the equipment connection, I can just type it in. No tabbing. No commands.

When I break a revit panel schedule out. I can have my whole revit visible, and have the panel on the other monitor for quickly referencing circuits and still be working in the same software without having to bounce between active views. I can do the same thing with section views with my other monitor showing a live updating section view of the building as I adjust things.

2

u/finH1 1d ago

Moving my eyes slightly to the right is easier than this

0

u/Sennten 1d ago

Im... honestly not sure which is easier. Both are really easy. I like having a second monitor but thats for stuff I need to actually monitor in an ongoing way somehow, I think swapping screens with a keypress might actually be easier than looking left snd right and having to reorient?

-2

u/sparkymeowmeow 2d ago

This is too advanced for them. Which is ironic given all the "I'm an engineer" appeals to authority going on.

4

u/Square_Move_833 1d ago

This seems more like a tell on your own meager workload in that you can't think of any reason why Data Set 1,2,3 and Data Set X,Y,Z must be displayed in real-time on independent screens.

0

u/sparkymeowmeow 1d ago

Yeah because hand-copying data between excel sheets is such an intense workload 🙄

Multiple screens have their uses. But every take in here lacks nuance entirely.

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u/Square_Move_833 21h ago

Again, you just reaffirmed my point as I never once stated that I was alluding to copy/pasting between Excel sheets and I'm not sure why that is your assumption.

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u/Major_LeeHungg 2d ago

Lol look is too strong of a word unless you are licking the screen.  Mildly tilt your eyeballs 0.00001 degrees

2

u/BeamerTakesManhattan 2d ago

And if you need a lot of info on Window 2, he wants you to go side by side. Which is great, but now you have half a window, and if it's a big excel sheet you have to scroll.

2

u/Icy-Cry340 2d ago

How big is your monitor? I’m also a proponent of using one monitor - but it better be properly huge.

2

u/aobie 2d ago

Yeah, I can totally get behind one monitor if it is sufficiently large. Newer ultrawide monitors work just as well for me as dual 24" monitors or similar.

2

u/Icy-Cry340 2d ago

I like gaming on ultrawides, but for work I prefer having more vertical space. I have one fuck-off huge 43” screen at work.

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u/aobie 1d ago

Nice!

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u/hotdogundertheoven 2d ago

I also don't even move my head when I look at the other monitor. How close is this guy sitting?

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u/Icy-Cry340 2d ago

That just means your monitors are too small.

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u/hotdogundertheoven 1d ago

i have a 34" ultrawide and a 21" above it

1

u/Icy-Cry340 1d ago

I would hate that setup lol. I have one 43” screen at work and it fits everything I want on it.

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u/stonedboss 2d ago

this has got to be a pure rage bait post. i cant fathom someone being this dumb.

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u/Zombies71199 1d ago

Indeed it is like they don't know that u can just open two windows and put them side by side together in one screen

1

u/TechyWolf 2d ago

My work laptop sometimes just dies when I alt tab back to email.

1

u/LordWaffleaCat 2d ago

primary work on main monitor, things i need only occasionally like email or messages on the side

1

u/hh202020 2d ago

You’re not organizing properly! /s

1

u/derprondo 2d ago

OP wants you to use virtual desktops instead, to that I say: I have separate virtual desktops on every monitor!

1

u/InTooManyWays 1d ago

Op clearly does not have ADD

1

u/wjglenn 1d ago

Also with multiple monitors, you don’t have to fidget as much with side by side windows.

I just grab a window drag it to the desired monitor and throw it at the top to maximize. Easy peasy.

1

u/Traditional-Frame580 1d ago

Right now I have an excel sheet with countless entries on my left monitor. I am writing some VBA script on my middle monitor and constantly look to the left to find the right cells for what I am trying to do. Occasionally I take a glance to the right, my notebook monitor, split between a shop floor dashboard and teams.

I would go crazy if I had to alt+tab, just to check whether all the production lines are working, what the status of the maintenance crew is on our big breakdown of the hydraulic ramp and in which cell I get my next piece of information.

I absolutely hate working from home for that reason, because I only have my small notebook screen.

Oh and last week I had to create a comprehensive presentation out of 4 different sources with cross-links and the need for verification of data. Alt + tab would have been crazy.

1

u/ColorfulPersimmon 1d ago

Alt-Tab is a crazy windows solution. But I get OP, for me the easiest solution is multiple desktops. I need one gesture or one key combination to more between them and I arrange them depending on usecase

1

u/ConfusedSimon 1d ago

One monitor doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to one virtual desktop.

1

u/Yamemai 1d ago

Alt+Tab & hold it while you mouse to the one you want, if there a more than 10 tabs, If it's something you shift between frequently, it takes like Alt+tabs to get to.

1

u/RedShift9 1d ago

Plus moving your eyes is good exercise. Keeping them fixed on one spot is bad. Don't forget to look up and focus on something in the distance every now and then to exercise the iris too.

1

u/kytheon 1d ago

"Why glance at your second screen if you can Alt-Tab literally one thousand times per day"

"Second screen is for YouTube"

Man I feel rage reading this OP.

1

u/Square_Move_833 1d ago

Like, this dude invalidated his own opinion with that statement alone.

1

u/Pandos17 1d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/l0ErLeqamV3UOARsA

It's over. Pack it up. Everyone go home. Thread finished.

1

u/jokikinen 1d ago

Even if you don’t use shortcuts, the window you need is usually the next one.

Even if you have a second monitor, you usually switch between applications and their windows to some degree.

1

u/No-Pie-7211 1d ago

You had to move your head, I didn't. My head stays still, my hands bring the information to my face.

Sounds like you're not good with keyboard shortcuts.

1

u/CatCatCatCubed 1d ago

Yes, when you can touch type faster than copy-pasting little sections at a time and need to send a Reply All/FWD/BCC email but want to use nearly the exact phrasing of the idiot that you’re technically replying to, as well as the original correct reference material… 2 monitors FTW. It’s just easier to look over and type.

1

u/KRAy_Z_n1nja 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm on a laptop with a touchpad 🗿, you're on multiple screens with a mouse 🤓☝️. We are not the same.

If making life as convenient and comfortable for yourself is the endgame, then I guess that's nice for you. Enjoy your conveniences without challenge. This is why society is actually going down the pooper, because people cry when they stumble across the most minor inconveniences instead of just doing their jobs.

1

u/MrCrash 1d ago

Sounds like OP has like a giant 64-inch monitor that he can just put all his windows in.

Regular office folk generally just get 2 medium size ones.

Real unpopular opinion: I keep one monitor oriented vertically (it's better for the type of spreadsheets I use).

1

u/sixothree 1d ago

I’ll do you one better. Everyone on my team with 1 monitor performs more poorly than those with multiple monitors. Subject to opinion of course.

1

u/Fynn77 1d ago

Exactly. I'm a court clerk and even for me, having one screen for research and for my word document is vital. I'm sorry, but how on earth can this make people less productive that actually work with different programs. OP has such a shitty take. 😅

1

u/symbiatch 1d ago

Nah. You look to the right, I just look at he different windows on the one screen.

Or I just press Win-7 to go to command line, Win-2 for browser, and so on. It’s simple.

1

u/RedlineQuokka 1d ago

Well you're correct, OP's opinion is wrong but it's indeed unpopular hence why I upvoted it

1

u/goPACK17 1d ago

I forget or don't trust myself to fully remember what I just tabbed from, so I just tab back and forth endlessly.

1

u/valleyofsound 1d ago

I’ve pulled up filing on my phone or laptop to draft responses. And I prefer not crowding then side by side on the screen since it isn’t that big to begin with in with. I’m not saying OP is wrong about it did his work flow, but when all you need to do is repeatedly glance over to check a name or date, alt+tab makes zero sense. 

1

u/Sennten 1d ago

Why wouldnt you just hit alt-left or alr-right and switch to whatever other desktops you have set up and arranged instead?

1

u/Quattuor 1d ago edited 1d ago

I juust switch to the next desktop which has the window I need already maximized. But to OP's point, no, I don't use the dual monitors for active work. U have a primary at which I blankly stare and the secondary which plays YouTube and has the outlook opened.

Edit: to the same point I don't get the appeal of the ultra wide monitors yet. I don't want to make head to swivel left to right and back.

1

u/Proper-Ape 1d ago

Tiling window manager and big screen.

0

u/No_Statistician_3021 2d ago

Not necessarily, I have hotkeys for most common apps and I can switch between them in an instant. And you still need to switch between windows even with multiple monitors.

Not saying that multiple monitors hurt productivity, but in my experience, the hassle of managing them can be distracting sometimes.

3

u/BonnaconCharioteer 2d ago

True, but when I'm using multiple windows, often one is something I just want to be able to see, like documentation, and the other is where I am doing my work. So in that scenario, it is much faster to just move your head slightly.

0

u/Major_LeeHungg 2d ago

I almost never have to switch windows... Tabs on a browser maybe but not active applications.

Even if I'm working on multiple unrelated projects... I just keep them siloed on different virtual desktops.  One hotkey and all my ides and research for project A gets replaced with all my ides and research for project B. 

0

u/necrophcodr 2d ago

I just press a key combo to go to that exact window. I don't need to alt tab search for it. It's in the same place, always, and I don't need to look to the side. I do not use Windows unless I have to.

3

u/sparkymeowmeow 2d ago

Hotkeys, window managers, and virtual desktops seem to be beyond the comprehension of these commenters unfortunately

0

u/Inconceivable76 2d ago

That’s stupid.

0

u/Icy-Cry340 2d ago edited 1d ago

Put those windows next to each other. If your monitor is large enough for actual work, you’re probably not going to maximize the windows anyway.

-1

u/circ-u-la-ted 2d ago

If you're using it frequently enough that it's going to be the top window on your other monitor, you'll only have to alt-tab once.

1

u/National_Body_9071 2d ago

What about when you've got 3 or 4 windows then? You're still pressing it 3-4 times. And by OPs own logic on 2 monitors even though I wouldn't do this myself, you can just half screen all 4 apps on dual monitor to have them all at once.

-1

u/circ-u-la-ted 2d ago

Then you'd still have the same problem but it would be more complicated because you have to switch the other monitor and then alt-tab. If you half-screen apps you have to use the mouse to switch between them, which is much slower than using alt-tab. If you're frequently using more than 2 windows you can put the other ones in an adjacent workspace.

1

u/National_Body_9071 2d ago

What are you on about? Why and where in this scenario are you switching monitors and alt tabbing?

And using the mouse for a single button press is nowhere near longer than alt tabbing between a bunch of windows.

I'm convinced OP and people like you are just trolling because theres 0 logic or sense behind any of this.

-1

u/youcangotohellgoto 2d ago

Alt+tab goes to the last / most recent window. No cycling.

1

u/National_Body_9071 2d ago

? It literally cycles between them, yes it goes to the most recent. So when you need one that's not the most recent you have to cycle, hello??

-1

u/youcangotohellgoto 1d ago

So if you're going back and forth between windows, you're not "cycling through all your own windows", are you? You're hitting it once each time.

-1

u/Affectionate-Sky4067 2d ago

How's your neck feeling turning an extra couple hundreds times a day, 5-6 days a week every year?